At the moment Im having a little play with combustion, I've been through a few chapters in the manual, but on the web I dont really see that many specific tutorials( I am mainly into 3dsmax).

Are there any dedicated combustion 2 sites as there are 3D sites?

P.S How was the matrix effect created where, the footage has like the matrix lines going over the whole screen, and then it fades in to the normal picture

Thanks

Sorry for the noob questions :)

Jack Pfeiffer

07-10-2003, 07:38 AM

Hi...

First and Foremost, PLEASE remeber that there are over 13 FREE Tutorials that are already available from Discreet.... They are on the DEMO CD-ROM, or you can find them at:

http://www.discreet.com/products/combustion/combustion_tutorials.html

These Lessons cover almost all the "basics" and have PDF files with instructions for each lesson, as well as ZIP files with the media, workspace files, and sample AVI/MOV files. Here is the summary of free lessons:

If you are an After Effects User and considering Combustion, be sure to read the following articles from Digital Producer Magazine. Entitled "Combustion 2 for After Effects Users," it is a series of three articles designed to help explain things....Nicely written by Kevin Schmitt.....
- Part 1: Working with Illustrator files
http://www.digitalproducer.com/2003/01_jan/tutorials/01_20/combustion_ae.htm
- Part 2: Working with Photoshop files
http://www.digitalpostproduction.com/2003/04_apr/tutorials/combustion_ae2.htm
- Part 3: A birds-eye view of the C2 interface
http://www.digitalproducer.com/2003/05_may/tutorials/05_26/com_ae3.htm

Yet another article, from Animation World Magazine, entitled "Combustion 2 in Action" written by Scott Jenkins. He reviews Combustion 2 and checks in with a production "in progress" to see how Combustion stacks up against key competitor After Effects.... Although it is a year old, it is still a good read....
http://mag.awn.com/index.php3?ltype=search&sval=combustion&article_no=1437

BUYING TRAINING MATERIAL....................

If you are ready to spend money to learn, Discreet does sell their Courseware, which is what they use when you buy one of their Discreet classes:

1) I have written a Combustion training book, which is the first third party training book on the market. Entitled "Combustion v2: The On-line WebWarriors Guide" You can read about it here: http://www.mci.dk/combustion or check the review at www.CreativeCow.net (book reviews.) Note that my WebWarrior Book is billed as a Tips & Tricks Guide to provide help to speed up any user and make them more efficient, not just as a beginner tool. Each book also includes a one-year subscription to updates and more Tips. In May 2003, I released (for free download to those who bought the book) another tutorial teaching Motion Graphics. So, my book is a book that "keeps on giving."

2) OUT NOW !!!!!!! I have reviewed the NEW " Advanced Combustion training DVDs " and they are HOT !!! Three power users/trainers, Lee "Rod" Roderick, Gary M. Davis, and Ken LaRue have teamed up to create 6.5 hours on four DVDS with 15 lesssons -- this is all real world projects for the advanced user, and well worth the investment.. Check them out at http://www.thestreetproductions.com

3) There is a very good (and long) DVD / VHS Video set -- although expensive, you do get 14 hours ( ! ) of training and tutorials, also taught by Ken LaRue (see above.) Available from Technical Animations (http://www.techanim.com)

4) Coming up in the later this year a new book available on www.amazon.com called “combustion ground rules” by Todd Petersen. The Table of contents for his book is scheduled to be: Chapter 1 Introduction to Post Effects - Chapter 2 Introduction to the Combustion Interface - Chapter 3 Quick Start Tutorial - Chapter 4 Paint 101 - Chapter 5 More on Paint - Chapter 6 Compositing 101 - Chapter 7 More on Compositing - Chapter 8 Working with Audio - Chapter 9 Integration with MAX - Chapter 10 Integration with Edit - Chapter 11 Advanced Compositing - Chapter 12 Advanced Compositing 2. Gpo to amazon.com to read more.

5) There is an older 90-minute Combustion v1 VHS Training Tape with advanced subject material available at http://www.videoblurb.com. It has received excellent reviews and covers color correction, keying and more.